Careers

In an ever-evolving global landscape, empowering individuals with the knowledge and skills to navigate the intricate pathways of the professional world is of paramount importance. Careers education forms the bedrock of this empowerment, acting as a compass that guides students towards informed decisions about their future. It equips them with a deep understanding of various industries, career opportunities, and the essential skills necessary for success in their chosen paths. Beyond academic achievements, careers education cultivates crucial life skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and adaptability, shaping individuals into well-rounded, proactive contributors to society. As we embark on this journey of comprehensive careers education, we recognise its pivotal role in preparing our students for a future where their potential knows no bounds. Join us as we delve into the world of possibilities, nurturing and shaping the budding professionals of tomorrow through a robust and enriching careers programme.

NEXT STEP MEETINGS WITH CAREERS PLYMOUTH

At DHSB we employ an independent careers adviser to give 1:1 guidance, mainly to older students. These appointments take place during the school day and last up to an hour. Parents are very welcome to attend these appointments. Following the appointment students will be sent an action plan detailing what was discussed and next steps. This will also be sent to the Form Tutor and Head of Year and should ideally be shared with parents especially if they were not able to attend the appointment.

Our Careers Plymouth personal adviser is Judy Kay; she is normally in school most Thursdays and occasionally other days. She offers appointments to all Y11 students and also sees some Y10 and VI Form by request, and also works with small groups.

Please contact Mr Scott if you would like an appointment, alternatively for brief queries she may be contacted directly as below. Judy also supports various events in the careers programme throughout the year, and is available for immediate guidance on GCSE results day every summer.

Her contact details are judy.kay@plymouth.gov.uk

We also have regular visits from the Armed Forces Careers Officers - please email Mr Scott if you are in Years 10-13 and would like to see Army, Royal Navy or Royal Air Force officers next time they are in school.

MEASURING THE IMPACT OF OUR CAREERS PROGRAMME

At DHSB we evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of our careers programme in the following ways:

Measuring success, and the evaluation of our Careers and PSHEE programmes are obviously crucial to the continuing development and improvement of our activities. We endeavour to ask for instant feedback following any major event, requesting brief responses from students, visiting speakers/employers and staff as we feel it is important to capture immediate thoughts, and also to thank all those involved with delivery.

A longer or larger activity would trigger a google questionnaire, and we also send a google form on an annual basis to staff, employers, different year groups of students and parents as appropriate. Focus groups are also held with various stakeholders, such as the Year 11 Careers link students who represent each class. 

We map our careers activities against the Gatsby Benchmarks (see programme details page), with support from the Heart of the South West Careers Hub.

Information from these various sources is collated and analysed and fed into our annual review process.

We also use data regarding destinations of students as they leave DHSB to inform our planned activities and speakers - links to the most recent data are available here: https://www.dhsb.org/results-destinations 

There is also a link to the "Where are they now?" section of the main DHSB website for information on alumni and their journeys since leaving DHSB: https://www.dhsb.org/where-are-they-now 

Local employers

HM Land Registry

Babcock International

Regional employers

National employers

GCHQ Careers

HM Land Registry

European employers

International employers